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Forum Conversations (one to one posts)

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This forum, like many others, has a feature which allows members to contact one another in an individual fashion. This is also a good way of contacting the site owners or the moderators. Here are some of the basic instructions to using the "conversations" feature. The "inbox" menu item is one place where you can access your conversations or start one......etc.

As is stated in our rules, we ask that you refrain from contacting people in bulk or to harvest their names or sell them anything - even individually. In general, one to one conversations are fine, but the system should not be used as a chat or group chat or to run mini-lists, etc. - please use one of the various other chat or email services on the web (google, yahoo, IM, text messaging, etc.) to run groups.

Conversations should not contain content which you would not post in public here - i.e., porn, personal attacks, etc. - Conversations are for helpful one to one contacts.

Are Conversations Monitored or Read?

The short answer is no. A longer answer would go like this. You should never say things or do things, here or anywhere (even in regular email, on facebook, text, etc.) which you would not want to be public or semi-public. We certainly would not broadcast or expose your conversations, but it is possible that a forum hack or other system malfunction could make them available to someone with technical knowledge.

There is no interface for moderators or the administrators where they can monitor or read your conversations. Doing so would require delving deep into the raw databases which power the forum.

A longer answer goes like this. There have been over 200,000 Conversations in the last couple of years. The Administration neither monitors or reads them, however if we are told or find out that something outside the forum rules and/or common decency is going on, we reserve the right to delve deeply into the database software and see if this is the case. When doing this, we typically only see the member name and the first few words of the conversation. In previous years, for example, we found a member who was selling (for money and favors) positive or negative mentions of stove brands! He was obviously banned. So the answer to the question "has the admin ever read a one to one conversation and does the admin have the RIGHT to read conversations on their system if there are serious rule infringements?" would be yes.

But you can rest assured we are not reading your conversations about the new GF, BFF, wifey, hubby, chain saw, whiskey, etc.....the best way for you to think about it might be like your corporate email. Your ISP or your company can read it if and when they want or need to, but chances are that most do not.